Srinagar, July 11: Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference President Sajjad Lone on Thursday said there is an urgent need for restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir and timely holding of state assembly elections.
“It is urgent that the state assembly elections are held as scheduled. I truly believe that only a government that is accountable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir has the right to govern and administer the state,” Lone said in a post on microblogging site ‘X’.
He expressed his preference for a locally elected government even if it was headed by a “political opponent”. “Let my worst electoral rival be elected. I would prefer that government a million times more than a foreign government which falsely claims to be a politically and socially dignified stakeholder. They do not and never will be. A non-resident government will not be accepted here or in any part of India. Will those in charge accept a non-resident government in their own state?” he wrote.
Sajjad called on the Indian government to “stop acting as individuals and start acting as an organisation”. “A small request to the Government of India: Please end this suffering. First, restore statehood as a right, not a charity. Hold elections and hand over power to a new government. For better or worse, the people will elect and they will rule the country. It’s just like the rest of the country. There is no perfect government and there never will be. Let the newly elected government take power, albeit imperfectly, like in other states,” he added.
The PC leader concluded by appealing, “Please stop creating the impression that we are at war with our own people in Jammu and Kashmir.”
